This news might be disturbing to many of you especially if you are against the use of guns. Cody Wilson, founder of Austin-based organization Defense Distributed, wanted to make as many gun parts as possible into 3D printable files that can be downloaded from their website Defcad.org. Now he has announced plans to launch a new search engine with which people can find 3D printed gun components and other patented stuff.

The upcoming search engine, Defcad.com, will be an improved version of the organization’s current website. Wilson plans to make money from his search startup by hosting paid advertising.

In the video posted below, a very serious Wilson talks about his organization’s history and ideas. He is also talking about 3D printer company Makerbot, which removed 3D printed gun files last year, and its CEO Bre Prettis. Makerbot’s decision of course is sensible as this is a route most companies are not willing to take.

Defense Distributed is going on strong currently, according to Wilson. He says that an ad on Defcad.org has generated about $4,000 a month and the company also receives as much as $2,000 a month in donations. But certainly everything won’t be easy for them, as objections are rising from all around. According to Wired, Wilson is one of the “15 most dangerous people in the world”. Maybe Wilson finds that as good publicity.

Check out the video and leave your thoughts about Wilson and his ideas below.

What do you think: Are easily printed 3D gun components a potential problem, or not?

]]>http://www.mobilemag.com/2013/03/13/3d-printed-gun-parts/feed/0Double Barrel .45 cal Hand Gun is Overkill (Video)http://www.mobilemag.com/2012/03/19/double-barrel-9mm-hand-gun-is-overkill-video/ http://www.mobilemag.com/2012/03/19/double-barrel-9mm-hand-gun-is-overkill-video/#commentsMon, 19 Mar 2012 15:29:10 +0000http://www.mobilemag.com/?p=130966We have brought a lot of interesting new products to your attention in the past. The above product, the AF2011-A1 Double Barrel Pistol, is interesting alright, but it also looks very silly. The handgun, from Arsenal Firearms, was designed to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the Colt 1911-A1 and is the first .45 caliber, semiautomatic double barrel pistol built to industrial specifications.

We have brought a lot of interesting new products to your attention in the past. The above product, the AF2011-A1 Double Barrel Pistol, is interesting alright, but it also looks very silly. The handgun, from Arsenal Firearms, was designed to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the Colt 1911-A1 and is the first .45 caliber, semiautomatic double barrel pistol built to industrial specifications.

The dual barrels allow the gun to shoot two bullets simultaneously, and it is capable of firing 16 rounds (it holds 16 .45 ACP rounds) in just three seconds. To achieve the same result, a regular 9mm pistol will take almost ten times as long (including reloading).

The gun uses a single slide, grip, and safety, and you will be able to customize it for using a single trigger or two separate triggers for firing each barrel independently. And parts such as firing pins, springs, and housings can be replaced with parts from a Colt 1911.

But, why exactly has this been created? If you are imagining that you will be able to shoot two people at the same time with the gun like this guy, you are totally wrong. All the 16 bullets will hit an area the size of an orange, if your target is 15 yards away. If it’s 25 yards away, the area will be the size of a watermelon.

But the punch is what this thing is all about. Two bullets totalling 460 grains of weight hitting one to two inches apart on a target can bring down a bull. But still, why? When there are all sorts of other simpler designs (yet having the same punch) out there, why? Although the video doesn’t give you the answer, you can take a peek at the handgun in action. Perhaps for the next generation of dirty Harry films.

]]>http://www.mobilemag.com/2012/03/19/double-barrel-9mm-hand-gun-is-overkill-video/feed/8The Camera Rifle That Lets You Shoot, But Not Killhttp://www.mobilemag.com/2012/03/13/the-camera-rifle-that-lets-you-shoot-but-not-kill/ http://www.mobilemag.com/2012/03/13/the-camera-rifle-that-lets-you-shoot-but-not-kill/#commentsTue, 13 Mar 2012 16:37:51 +0000http://www.mobilemag.com/?p=130687Brothers Randy and Michael Gregg have come out with a new product that will help hunters to shoot a deer even if the hunting season is over, well, sort of. Their Kill Shot is a proposed camera-equipped replica rifle which, as you might have guessed by now, will allow you to take photos instead of firing bullets.

Brothers Randy and Michael Gregg have come out with a new product that will help hunters to shoot a deer even if the hunting season is over, well, sort of. Their Kill Shot is a proposed camera-equipped replica rifle which, as you might have guessed by now, will allow you to take photos instead of firing bullets.

The Kill Shot (name not yet finalised) is in the development phase at the moment and its main feature will be a digital camera built into the scope. When you pull the trigger, the camera will grab a time- and date-stamped snapshot of an animal in the crosshairs. You can zoom in on an animal and the camera also comes with video recording capablilties.

All the images and video will be saved onto a memory card mounted in the same location as an ammunition magazine on a real rifle. You will be able to access the data via a USB port.

Well, that’s about it. We have to admit that the idea of a gun which can take photos is totally silly. But they are talking about some possible uses for the new product. It could be useful for people who love to track down wild animals but do not want to kill them. But for that, we just need a good quality camera (which also looks like a camera).

But novice hunters can use it to train themselves so that there won’t be any dangers of using live ammunition. But with just a camera with you, what will you do about the charging Leopard?

We are against violence and hunting and all, and therefore recommend hunters to get a Kill Shot and stay away from the killing ways. You all could still boast about your adventures by sharing the pictures on the internet and saying look what you “shot.” A much nicer and pleasant way of gaming animals. Kind of like a cigarette vaporizer to ween you off your hunting addiction.

The Gregg brothers and their other brother, Daniel, are trying to raise funds for seeing their product enter the production phase. Head to kickstarter if you are interested in showing your support and a pledge of $150 will get you a Kill Shot (or whatever it will be called, you can suggest good names below just for fun) when it’s released.

The technology that guides Tomahawks and big missiles to sharp hits is likely to arm the next generation sniper.

New Mexico-based Sandia National Laboratories is on its way towards perfecting a sniper bullet which incorporates the self-guiding capabilities which was so far reserved for big missiles. The prototype bullet has shown promising results according to Sandia and the lab is looking for private funding to complete its research and make a practical prototype that could be mass produced.

Snipers and sharpshooters, purists as they are, might say that the new technology will take away the romance of approximations and mental calculations normally associated with their profession.

Hollywood movies have immortalized snipers in action battlefields: wiping the sweat off their brows, controlling the heartbeat, checking and rechecking the scope, using mental math to visualize the trajectory to make minute adjustments, before letting it rip.

The new technology will definitely take away the sweat off a sniper’s brow and they are not likely to complain, after all they are in the business for accurate shots, not near misses.

The bullet is a technological marvel as it has managed to overcome the difficulties of using a guiding technology in a small projectile which is tough to control as it gets affected by the wind and other peripherals much more than a large missile.

Sandia’s four-inch-long bullet has an optical sensor in the nose to detect a laser beam on a target. The sensor sends information to guidance and control electronics that use an algorithm in an eight-bit CPU to command electromagnetic actuators which steer tiny fins on the bullet skin that guide it to the target.

Traditional bullets have grooves that make them spin when they leave the barrel to make it more accurate. Sandia’s bullet is different as it is designed not to spin so that its trajectory is easier to tweak during mid flight.

“To enable a bullet to turn in flight toward a target and to simplify the design, the spin had to go,” says Sandia researcher Red Jones.

“The bullet flies straight due to its aerodynamically stable design, which consists of a center of gravity that sits forward in the projectile and tiny fins that enable it to fly without spin, just as a dart does,” he adds.

Computer modeling shows the design would improve accuracy, said Jones. The company’s patent for the smart bullet says that simulations showed an unguided bullet under real-world conditions could miss a target more than half a mile away (1,000 meters away) by 9.8 yards (9 meters) while a guided bullet would get within 8 inches (0.2 meters).

]]>http://www.mobilemag.com/2012/02/01/smart-bullet-for-snipers-has-self-guiding-technology/feed/7XM-25 Smartgun Points Toward Future of Modern Warfarehttp://www.mobilemag.com/2011/04/06/xm-25-smartgun-points-toward-future-of-modern-warfare/ http://www.mobilemag.com/2011/04/06/xm-25-smartgun-points-toward-future-of-modern-warfare/#commentsWed, 06 Apr 2011 20:47:43 +0000http://www.mobilemag.com/?p=116338Smartphones are everywhere and smart TVs are quickly picking up in popularity too. The next logical step, then, is to create some smart guns. At least, that's what PEO Soldier and ATK are thinking with the creation of the XM-25 computer smartgun.

Smartphones are everywhere and smart TVs are quickly picking up in popularity too. The next logical step, then, is to create some smart guns. At least, that’s what PEO Soldier and ATK are thinking with the creation of the XM-25 computer smartgun.

They just received a $66 million contract to move into production. The gun isn’t just a gun; it comes loaded with a computer as part of its “counter defilade target engagement (CDTE) system.” What this means is that it can intelligently aim and track its targets. That’s for precision.

What I think is more interesting is the ability to detonate frag shells at different distances. See an enemy hiding behind cover? Get the frag to explode after the barricade rather than in front of it. This is a little Call of Duty, a little Medal of Honor, but there you have it. Also cool how the same gun can support multiple types of ammo.

All it needs now is the chainsaw a la Gears of War for some up close and personal action.